The Yom Kippur War was a resounding event, marking the fourth Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt’s objective was clear: to reclaim the territories lost during the Six-Day War in 1967—in other words, the Golan Heights in the north and the Sinai Desert in the south, two areas located on opposite ends of Israeli territory. Although the Hebrew state emerged victorious and the conflict did not drag on indefinitely, the war marked a turning point for Israel, which was caught completely off guard by the surprise offensive.
October 6, 1973: The First Offensive
It was Egyptian President Anwar el-Sadat, successor to Nasser, who ordered the first attack of this war on both fronts simultaneously. The offensive began in broad daylight at 2:00 p.m. The Egyptian army had beforehand meticulously bombarded the Bar Lev defensive line, manned by only 600 soldiers—most of whom had been granted permission to celebrate Yom Kippur.
Under the command of General Chazli, Egyptian forces surged into the desert without pausing to assault every outpost along the line, instead immediately overrunning the Israeli tanks that provided cover for Bar Lev. The anti-tank missiles, the Saggeret Schmell, proved effective, and the soldiers were better trained than they had been in 1967—forcing Israel, for the first time, to respond to a surprise attack.
The Naval Battle of Latakia on October 7
While the Israelis struggled on land, they excelled at sea. The battle took place off the coast of the port of Latakia, pitting Syrian patrol boats against the Israeli navy. The Israeli forces achieved victory through a radar jamming strategy, causing the Syrians to fire their missiles at Israeli decoys before launching their own counteroffensive with Gabriel missiles. Following this event, the Syrian military fleet withdrew from the conflict.
October 15: The Shift in Israeli Tactics
A few days earlier, General Chazli had decided to relocate all his available tanks (around 500) to the east bank of the Suez Canal. This maneuver freed up the entire west bank—a fact quickly noted by the Israeli military through its reconnaissance aircraft. Although Israeli General Sharon was eager to exploit this weakness immediately, he did not receive permission until October 15. The objective was to encircle the Egyptian army. Crossing Lake Amer on rafts, his forces managed to break through to the Suez Canal. This major infantry maneuver by the Israeli forces marked the turning point of the Yom Kippur War.
October 22, 1973: The Ceasefire
A ceasefire was imposed by the United Nations Security Council, following negotiations between the United States and the Soviet Union, in Resolution 338, which went into effect on the ground twelve hours later. The Syrians were preparing to launch a massive counterattack on the northern front. In fact, the Russians had replaced the lost tanks, and two Iraqi battalions had arrived as reinforcements. Meanwhile, the Israelis were on the verge of cutting off the route to Cairo. This war eventually led to the Israeli-Egyptian peace of 1978 and, more immediately, to the first oil shock.